HYBRID BREEDING. 



By H. W. VAI.K. 



(Cofitmtied f}om page 158). 



I had anticipated being able to tell you all about the 

 two last-mentioned birds, but owing to Mr. Pratt's 

 removal from Suffolk to Scotland I have not 3'et had the 

 pleasure of seeing his last season's achievement- 

 sufficient to say that he was the only member of our Club 

 who succeeded in producing the Canary-Bullfinch in the 

 season 1901, so, in the absence of any other competitors, 

 the Gold Medal I offered must necessarily go to him. 

 While on the subject of medals, I am sorry to find that 

 so few of them have been claimed, but I hope that those 

 members who so kindly gave the medals last season will 

 again allow them to be compete<l for in the coming 

 season of 1902. For my own part I will again offer a 

 Gold Medal for the best specimen of a hybrid bred 

 between either the cock Canary and hen Bullfinch, the 

 cock Siskin and hen Bullfinch, or the cock Redpoll and 

 hen Bullfinch — the birds to be bred under the same 

 conditions as last year. There is every reason to expect 

 better results, seeing that one of our members at Brixton 

 so far succeeded as to have fertile eggs from the Siskin 

 and Bullfinch ; and after the fertile ^^^ our worth}' 

 Secretary found in his aviary from the Hawfinch- 

 Bullfinch, who can say that the coming season will not 

 find a winner of the great prize once offered for the 

 Chaffinch mule.' During the past vShow^ season I have 

 had no less than three specimens of birds to examine 

 pronounced by their owners to be a cross between the 

 Bramblefinch and Chaffinch. The result, on close 

 examination, was the same in each case, and very 

 disappointing to me. The first bird was a Chaffinch pure 

 and simple, caught wild— its only claim to the Bramble- 

 finch cross was a slight colouring on the throat and 

 shoulders resembling that bird. The next was said to be 

 bred by its owner in an outdoor aviar}'-, and was highly 

 valued and well cared for, but proved to be only a hen 



